Drinking container and jar closure fitting



Aug. 24, 1948. B. H. POLCYN 2,447,870

DRINKING CONTAINER AND JAR CLOSURE FITTING Filed July 1, 1944 INVENTOR AT ORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 24, 1948 UNITED. STATES .PATENT OFFICE Damiano coN'rAINER solemn CLOSURE FITTING l 4 Bernard Polcyn, Milwaukee, Wis. Application July 1, 1944, serial No. 543,119

This invention relates to improvements in drinking containers and jar closure fittings.

It is a primary object of the'inven-tion to provide a drinking container, and a fitting applicable to any jar to constitute such a container, which will be completely sealed except when used fordrinking.

It is a very important further object of the invention to provide sealing means so releasable that the normal application of the users hand to the container to lift it for drinking purposes will, without any conscious client on the part of the user, open both a liquid valve and a vent valve for delivering liquid from the container to the well from which drinking occurs.

An optional object of the invention is the insulation thermally of the jar and its contents to preclude loss of heat from the contents of the jar and to protect the hands of a user from being burned by the jar.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art by analyzing the invention hereinafter disclosed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of a device mbodying the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the same embodiment of my invention as it appears in perspective;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device hown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

While my device may be manufactured unitarily, it is contemplated that, in the first instance, it may comprise a fitting applicable to any jar having a threaded mouth to constitute a closure for such jar and to provide for drinking therefrom, subject to the control aiiorded by my invention. A threaded jar is shown at 4. To it is applied a closure 5 comprising a threaded sleeve portion engaged with the jar. A disk portion 1 completes the jar closure and serves as a separator between the int-erior of the container or jar and the well 8 which is formed by an annular flange 9, preferably slightly beaded at Ill, which urrounds the disk portion 1 of the appliance.

A gasket l I may intervene between the closure and the top of the jar, if desired. Optionally, I may extend the skirt portion I2 downwardly to any desired extent. The skirt portion I2 is preferably spaced slightly from the periphery of the jar not merely to facilitate the introduction of the jar into threaded engagement with the closure but, more particularly, to insulate the jar and its contents. The air space Willtend to prevent loss 1 Claim. (Cl. 65-43) of heat whenthe jar contains beverages or other liquids which it is desired to maintain warm. The same air space will keep the skirt portion l2 of the device reasonably cool so that the hand of the user will not be rendered uncomfortable by the heat of the jar'and its contents.

At least one port, and preferably two ports are provided in the closure disk 1. The port l5 permits the flow of liquid from the container into the well 8, While the port l6 provides an air opening through which atmospheric air may enter the container to replace the liquid thus discharged for use. Each of the ports is provided with a valve, the valves being designated by reference characters IT, l8 respectively. The valves are preferably mounted upon a common valve carrier H), which, in the device described, takes the form of a lever, normally lying flat against the disk portion 1 of the appliance and extending at 2B upwardly along the inner side of the flange 9 and over the bead ill at 2|. From this point, the lever extends downwardly at 22, the portion 22 of the lever constituting a handle for its manipulation. A leaf spring 23 is riveted, or otherwise secured, to the inner surface of the handle portion 22 of the lever and is folded backwardly upon itself at 24 and thence downwardly at 25 along the exterior surface of the flange 9. At its extremity it has a lug portion 26, seated in a socket 21, formed externally in the flange 9. The bend at 24 in the spring provides a fulcrum upon which the lever pivots for the very slight movement required to lift the valves l1, it, from their respective seats in the correspondingly tapered ports I5, I 6.

The entire closure 5 may conveniently be molded in one piece from a suitable plastic, or metal, or glass, or other material. The recess 21 may be molded in it. The production of the valve carrier and the spring are simple stamping operations and these parts readily snap into place upon the mounted closure without requiring screws, rivets or other fastening devices to maintain the assembly.

When the device is in use, the contents of the container are kept sanitary, air and dust being excluded by the closure and valves. At the same time, the contents are instantly available for drinking. As above pointed out, no conscious effort on the part of the operator is required to open valves, since the grasp of his hand upon the assembly is inherently calculated to effect this result.

Not only are the contents of the containers protected from contamination, but they are also protected from spilling, the bias afforded by the spring 23 being sufiicient to hold the valves closed against normal pressure of the contents of the container, even though the container be overturned or actually inverted.

The appliance which comprises the closure, the valve lever with its valves and the spring 23 may, and preferably does, constitute a separate article of manufacture readily applicable to constitute any conventional screw-threaded jar as a container embodying the invention.

I claim:

In a device of the described class, a drinking cup attachment for a jar, said attachment comprising a cap provided with a drinking well having a ported bottom and a rim with an external recess, valve means controlling deliveries from the jar to the cap, in combination with a valve operating lever having a portion looped over the said rim in loose pivotal relation thereto, and resilient means in the looper portion of the lever seated in the recess and adapted to urge the lever toward valve closing position, said lever having a depending handle portion in a position to be grasped by the hand used for lifting the jar.

BERNARD H. POLCYN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 870,006 Harbour Nov. 12, 1907 908,706 Sprinkle 11- Jan. 5, 1909 1,006,217 Honour Oct. 17, 1911 1,118,645 Flower Nov. 24, 1914 1,295,004 Coffman Feb. 18, 1919 1,296,447 Whitney Mar. 4, 1919 1,374,752 Megquier Apr. 12, 1921 1,380,481 Jennings June 7, 1921 1,393,250 Sharbaugh Oct. 11, 1921 1,446,474 Mahnken Feb. 27, 1923 1,756,249 Kaufman Apr. 29, 1930 1,935,969 Witherspoon Nov. 21, 1933 2,197,449 Conill Apr. 16, 1940 2,252,915 Conill Aug. 19, 1941 2,327,010 Byork Aug. 1'7, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 435,990 France Mar. 14, 1912 29,331 Netherlands Mar. 15, 1933 

